On the green carpet heading into an elegantly decorated ballroom inside the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles on Monday night, Helen Mirren gushed about L.A. being such a generous town. And it’s true — especially if you’re a dame who has won just about every award this sprawling metropolis has to offer, including coveted accessories like Oscars, Emmys, Golden Globes and the list goes on and on and on.
She was minutes away from picking up another piece of hardware, this time from Elle magazine as one of eight honorees at the intimate event — sponsored by L’Oreal Paris, Hearts on Fire Diamonds and Calvin Klein Collection — along with Amy Adams, Kathy Bates, Felicity Jones, Anna Kendrick, Aja Naomi King, Lupita Nyong’o and Kristen Stewart.
Mirren, however, was the first actress to take the stage. She accepted her award following a short and sweet presentation from Shadowboxer colleague Joseph Gordon-Levitt. (“Ask around Hollywood and everyone loves her,” he said.) And perhaps because she has already taken home so much from Hollywood awards shows, the 71-year-old star, wearing a black Victoria Beckham design, returned the favor and delivered “a few tips to get through life.” As she even said before counting them down, “Feel free to pass these along.” Mission accomplished …
1. “Never drink alcohol, unless you’re celebrating something, upset at something or if it’s a day that ends in the letter y. And never drink when you’re driving.”
2. “There are no rules about love. Don’t be in a rush to get married. I married Taylor (Hackford) much later in life and it’s worked out just great. Give your partner the freedom and support to achieve their ambitions. Very important. That goes both ways — men and women.”
3. “At the blackjack table, always split aces, eights and nines. Believe me, it really improves the odds.”
4. “Connect with friends daily. I don’t mean on Facebook. It’s better to have three great friends than 300 friends on social media. Friends you can really talk to.”
5. “Finally, ignore anyone who judges the way you look. Especially if he or she is some anonymous miserable creep lurking on internet or is a bloated, small-headed, dinosaur-handed candidate for president.”
Oh, about that last one, she never mentioned the Republican nominee for president by name, but here’s looking at you, Donald Trump. It’s pretty clear when you refer back to the clue Mirren offered at the start of her speech: “I am going to be the nastiest of all nasty women.”
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